This Is Our Time
by Shookenup
Summary: Five years after the war against Ozai, and three years since they have seen each other, the group has a reunion. Their lives as adults. Love, arguing, and pain.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Woot, looks like I'm back in action. Well, mainly ATLA action haha. It's my current addiction; I apologize to any of you that were looking forward to more Pretty Little Liars. I am very very bored of that show, they're just… Ugh. I'm not gonna waste my time writing in here, I'm just gonna get into it **

Aang smiled, looking into the distance as Appa flew towards their destination. Katara was asleep in the large saddle, having given up on staying awake about an hour into their journey. They were nearly to Toph's school now and he hadn't wanted to wake her just yet. "You can land over there Appa" he said, pointing to a convenient spot "just be careful not to wake her."

It had been five years since the initial war against Fire Lord Ozai and the whole group hadn't been reunited in three; they were all busy with their separate things and hadn't had the chance. After months of correspondence, the young Aang had finally managed to find a time that would work for everyone.

Appa landed as softly as he could and Aang climbed over to where Katara was asleep; he could never have gotten enough of watching her so happy, so peaceful. Regretfully, he had to wake her up. So with a sigh, he sat next to her and lightly prodded her shoulder, leaning down to give her cheek a light kiss. She turned around, opening her eyes which were the only part of her actually showing above the thick blanket. "Are we there already?" She asked him in a groggy voice.

Aang had never really gotten over the fact that she was his, his 'forever girl'. Those words had brought him a few smiles from her in their years together. It may have been a cheesy line, but it was what he considered her. She was his, he was hers, and there was nothing in their lives that could change that. "Yeah, c'mon, Toph's waiting" he responded quietly, getting to his feet and offering her his hands to help herself up.

She took them thankfully and moved in to his side. Somewhere in the time they had been growing up, Aang had managed to grow taller than her. He had been 14 when he hit his first growth spurt, and when he was 16 he had completely shot up. She had stayed in what was the beginning of Republic City with him to help build it while her brother had gone back to the southern water tribe. The war had taken its toll on their old home, and he figured it was his duty to help them regain their footing.

The 20 year old man hadn't really become more serious, but he knew when duty came before humor and he knew when to draw the line. He still fought with his trusty boomerang, not that there was much need for it around there anymore. With the threat of Ozai gone, there wasn't much to worry about besides the occasional uprising in cities. The southern water tribe was a peaceful place; people usually didn't have to worry about something like that.

He took her hand and kissed the top of her head as they walked towards the school. Toph had promised to meet them inside, and he hoped she had kept to that; they had a long journey ahead of them. The couple opened the door lightly and smiled as they saw their old friend sitting in a chair across the room. "You're ten minutes late" she said as she heard them approach.

Aang frowned "are we? I didn't realize…"

"I'm only joking twinkle toes" she responded, getting to her feet and walking towards them. The floor was conveniently covered in a thick layer of dirt which served its purpose in helping her see. "It's good to see you again."

"You too Toph" he replied, reaching out. She wasn't one for hugging, but maybe after not seeing them for years she would make an exception. After a moment he chuckled "you see so much that sometimes I forget."

She smiled in response, not taking any offence to that; if anything it just reminded her of what a skilled earth bender she was. "Don't worry about it Aang," was all she said "so, are we taking Appa?" She had never been fond of the oversized flying bison due to the fact that she couldn't see anything when they were up in the air, leaving her rather defenseless in an attack.

Katara smiled "yes, he's to your left."

"I know exactly where he is, my feet could sense that old friend from a mile away." She walked over, looking like someone who could see. It never ceased to amaze her friends that she could do that. "He's a ten ton bison; it's hard for anyone to miss that." She walked over and gave him a quick pat on the nose, moving out of the way as he let out a loud groan. She knew as well as anyone did that he would often lick you if you were too close to his mouth.

Aang grinned "a hundred and eighteen years old and he still works just like a brand new one."

"Well if you want to get technical" Katara started, lightly shoving Aang "he's only eighteen like you considering for a hundred years of that he was stuck in an ice block."

Toph rolled her eyes and lifted her foot, slamming it to the ground. The ground shifted, pushing a thin platform up. She jumped up on Appa and looked in the general direction the other two were standing "come on, I don't want to wait here all day. We have Sokka to find."

"It's not much of finding if you know where he is" Katara responded as Aang grabbed her around the waist. The wind lifted them up and they landed softly on Appa, Katara smiling slightly at Toph. The two of them hadn't always had the best relationship, but they had mended any rough spots after time.

Aang looked back "what about Suki? Is she at the tribe?" He asked, an eyebrow lifted.

Katara shook her head "she went back to Kyoshi a while ago; Sokka was very upset about it, but I guess they always knew they were going separate ways. Her duty was to her village, and his was to the tribe and you; he refused to go to the island but she wouldn't stay. I guess it's rocky between them right now, but they're trying to make it work."

There was silence for a while before anyone spoke "well that's unfortunate" Toph muttered, leaning against the back of the saddle. One of her knees was crossed over the other and her arms were behind her head. Katara was sitting cross legged, her back straight, and Aang was at Appas head, someone had to control where they went.

"I don't know, the last time I visited they didn't seem to be doing so well" Katara said quietly "but I guess that's life, people drift apart. They'll make it through alright, I'm sure of it."

Toph's eyes were closed but Katara knew she was listening. Aang was silent, staring in to the distance. "These trips are so much shorter now that we don't have to worry about the fire nation shooting us out of the sky" he whispered, remembering the days when that was all they worried about. "Now that we don't have to try and shake Zuko off our tails."

Those days seemed laughable now. Zuko had gone through a patch when he was unsure about everything, taking the fire nation out of the earth nation. He had been unsure about talking to his father, but it was alright now. When they remembered Zuko being one of the people that hated them, the group couldn't help but chuckle; they had made a good friend of him eventually.

"Those were the days" Toph whispered, resisting the urge to laugh.

It would still be a couple of days of journeying, Appa needed to rest sometimes, but they would be at the southern water tribe before they could get restless. Katara and Aang had spent most of their trip in silence, but this one would be a trip meant for catching up. They intended to stay in the tribe for a while, it seemed to be the most convenient place for them to be; then they wouldn't have to venture to republic city, and drop everyone off at their respective homes after.

If anyone wanted to join them there, they would be more than happy to welcome them. Aang and Katara generally stayed on what had come to be known as "Air Benders Island" by the town's people. There were plenty of rooms to stay in there, Katara and Aang had their own rooms, but often ended up finding comfort in each other's arms during the night. Both didn't like the lonesome feeling of separate bedrooms. Yet, they had them to maintain a respectable appearance to visitors.

Although they were together for years, they were yet to be married, and some looked down upon that. They wouldn't approve even if the two stayed together in a mostly platonic way. They shared a few kisses, but nothing more in the bedroom. At this moment they had more to think about than being wed, like building republic city up to its very great potential.

When someone asked, no, they didn't stay in the same room, and they had separate ones to back it up. However, alone with each other they knew the truth, and there was no shame in it. "Careful Katara, I can almost hear your brain working from over here" Toph said sarcastically "or maybe I can smell your mind burning. Either way works" she smirked at her friend who chuckled lightly.

"I'm just thinking about how much things have changed I guess" she whispered "and about how excited I am to see Sokka again." As much as she wouldn't generally admit it, she missed her brother, and her father. They hadn't wanted her to go off on her own, but she had to find her own way; and being in the southern water tribe her whole life wasn't going to do it. As much as she loved it there, she needed to move on.

Aang smiled at her "well, you'll see him soon enough." He told her, reaching out to her even though he couldn't reach her from there.

"You're giving me the oogies" Toph scoffed, mocking Sokka and chuckling to herself "boy am I glad I can't see you."

Katara sighed "okay, maybe I don't miss everything about Sokka" she smirked "but I'm sure his oogies have faded by now."

"I wouldn't be so sure" Aang responded, eyes still ahead "he may have grown up, but you're still his sister!"

**So I'm gonna cut it off there. Soon will be meeting up with Sokka, might even see some Zuko in this :3 Okay, let's face the facts… I love Zuko, so he'll be in there.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I need to write to keep myself awake. So I'm going to. xD**

The way to the tribe was slow, with rest stops along the way; yet somehow it was still quicker than it was before. Appa stirred, causing Momo to jump up and run around frantically. Aang and the others were all lying on the ground, shockingly having missed this sort of travel. It was something they had never expected, but they did.

The sun had risen nearly an hour ago and they had slept through it, the third day of their journey. They were, as Katara calculated, only a few hours away; Aang intended to cut that time in half. He knew Katara longed to see her family, and he wouldn't deny her that. She stirred beside him and smiled "good morning" was all she said before kissing him lightly.

Toph was still snoring, lying on the ground inside her make shift rock tent. No one bothered her to help; there wasn't much to help with after all. It wasn't like the old days; it was more comfortable knowing they wouldn't be attacked at any second. "Are you ready to go home?" Aang asked, looking down at her as he sat up, letting the blankets fall off of him so that they still covered her. He had spent enough mornings with her to know she tended to be freezing, even in the warmth of their home.

Sure enough, she was shivering even under the material. He smiled and wrapped it tighter around her "yeah, it's been too long" she replied through her lightly chattering teeth. Aang hit the ground enough that it would wake Toph up. He didn't want to be too close to her then; there was no telling what she would do.

"You'll have to hit it harder than that to scare me Twinkletoes" she said, crawling out from under her literal rock. "I wasn't even asleep."

The rock slowly descended back in the ground as she stood and crossed her arms, facing the direction of the couple on the ground. Aang had gotten to his feet and was helping Katara up; making sure the blanket was still securely wrapped around her. "You worry too much" she chuckled, shedding the blanket "I'll be fine, I used to live in the cold."

He smiled, of course she was right, she often was; but that didn't stop him from worrying, she was what was most important to him in the world. "Okay lovebirds, can we get going? I have an itch for penguin sledding." She smirked at them and got on Appa, waving for them to get over there.

She had been there once after the war, and that was what had most captured her attention; Aang, Katara, and Toph had gone out and caught them, much to Sokkas displeasure when he found out he hadn't been invited. "Don't you think you're a little old for that?" Katara asked with a smirk as she hoisted herself up using Appas saddle. She had enough experience with it that it didn't even faze her anymore.

"You're never too old for that" Toph retorted, her tone sounded harsh but she bore a warm smile on her face. If she were really mad, she made it obvious to you and everyone else around; she wasn't one to hold back.

With that, they set off again on their journey; a long one, a slow one, but one that would pay itself over in the end.

It was soon that they landed, just outside the walls of the tribe. People were rushing to greet them but Katara only had two people in her sights, Sokka and Hakota. She barely waited for Appa to land before jumping down, landing softly in the snow. She smiled up at Aang who grinned back, if she got reckless on occasion, even though it wasn't a common thing, he made sure she was safe. Not falling on her face was helpful in any given situation.

She rushed towards her family, enveloping them in a hug "it's been too long Katara." Hakota said, and Katara was silent as she held her family. Words couldn't describe how much she missed them, Aang offered a lot for her to come here, but she refused; she knew how much Republic City needed them.

"Dad, Sokka" she whispered, finally hugging them one by one instead of in one big group "I missed you so much."

Aang came down on his glider and Toph slid down the side of Appa carefully. She had some trouble feeling where she was going with all of the ice. After saying hello to Katara, Sokka wandered over and put his hand on Toph's shoulder. She grinned and they hugged briefly before walking towards the others, him leading her there.

Aang greeted Sokka and Hakota, taking Kataras hand in his own. Hakota nodded to the monk and turned around, leading them in to the village. "As you can see, we still have the same basic look; we're not transforming into something like the northern. However, you can see the changes. There are some more modern buildings. Sokka has been a great help." He put a hand on his sons shoulder who grinned widely.

"It looks great dad" Katara said as she looked around.

"We would be further in our progress if we had a water bender here" Hakota said, looking to Katara and then pointedly towards Aang who looked shocked.

Katara smiled and linked arms with her father as they walked "maybe I can help out a bit while I'm here?"

"That would be a great help Katara" he said, looking straight ahead. Aang got the uncomfortable feeling that Hakota wasn't his biggest fan at the moment, and he didn't understand why. Sokka and Toph were walking behind the others, having a conversation of their own although they were speaking in hushed tones.

Katara glanced at the nervous looking Aang and looked at him quizzically, he was rarely nervous; it usually only happened when he was under large amounts of stress. That had been quite often recently. She softened and relaxed when he smiled warmly at her, giving her hand a squeeze. The village was still hard at work, but they all seemed genuinely happy in their home.

"So Katara, Aang" Hakota said, smiling although there was a rough edge to his voice "how is the island?"

"Quiet" Katara responded when Aang didn't speak. "We are hoping to have monks there eventually, to carry on the air benders values even if there are no more."

Hakota looked between the two of them "do you not intend to have children someday?" Katara felt a blush creeping up her neck and Aang coughed uncomfortably.

"We're a bit young to be thinking of that." Katara said, looking away from her dad and up at Aang.

Hakota wore a sly smile on his face "your mother and I were wed at your age, and Sokka was on his way soon." Katara wasn't meeting his eyes, her face getting redder by the moment "have you and Aang thought about getting married?"

The two paused, they hadn't thought much of it, but they had spoken of it a couple of times. "Dad" Katara warned, pulling her arm free of his and lacing her arm through Aangs. "We're happy with how things are right now; we don't need to be married."

"Don't you think it's slightly inappropriate?" He asked, his tone was still light, but there was an edge to it that the young couple didn't like. Don't corrupt my daughter was what it sounded like he was wanting to say. A monk, corrupting his daughter? That was almost laughable; in fact to Sokka and Toph it was laughable.

Hakota looked back "what's so funny?" He asked, unable to stop himself from smiling at the two.

Sokka continued laughing, managing to sputter out the words "dad, Aangs a _monk_, an air nomad. I think you should be more worried about Katara corrupting him." He continued to laugh and Hakota shook his head, walking faster.

Everyone else followed after, the air thick with an awkward sense. No one knew what to say, Hakota was now in one of his moods. Katara smiled as she looked over and saw someone struggling with a pail of water, going towards a barrel. She let go of Aangs arm and with a few simple swishes of her hand she managed to take the weight out of the pail and toss it in the barrel for them.

She smiled and waved and the lady looked thankful, waving back "the village is strong" Sokka said, wrapping his arm around his sisters shoulders, his other being held by Toph. "I'm glad you came to see us, we missed you."

"I missed you too." Katara replied, leaning against her brother. They still had their moments of not getting along, but with as little as they saw each other, they managed to get along-for a while at least.


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh my good golly, I love you two reviewers. Seriously. You two make my day, so I update :D I love reviews, especially long pretty ones. I like criticism as well guys, but there is a fine line between criticising and just plain insulting, please try not to cross that. Hmm, what to say. Oh, I'm not one of those fanfic writers that will say "no updates until I hit 10 reviews"… or more. No, I'll update when I get the chapters done. However, reviews do make me want to write more. If I don't feel it though, even with reviews, I won't update. I'd rather have decent material than people saying they love it. Anyways, with that said, on with the chapter **

"He's not good for you Katara" Hakota told his furious daughter, although he meant well he had been doing nothing but get on her nerves for the past two days. Aang was a good guy, and if he stopped looking at her being in Republic City with him as a completely irresponsible thing for ten minutes, he would be able to understand that.

Katara rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, pointing a finger at him "you just don't want to admit that your little girl is growing up" she growled. Their arguing was limited to times they were alone, when the others went to explore or do whatever they did. Katara was staying to help with the final touch ups on the village. It really was hard work, and she couldn't imagine doing it without water bending.

Hakota frowned and took a seat, leaning forward and putting his head in his hands "Katara, I don't like seeing you there" he told her "I mean, he's a man, it's only in his natu…" He meant to finish, but his daughter cut him off with an exasperated groan.

She walked a few steps away before turning again to face him "I am not having _that_ conversation with you. Aang is a respectable person… He's the avatar for crying out loud!" She threw her hands in the air, looking overly frustrated with her father. He hadn't even spoke ten words to Aang while he was here, and that was probably the reason they were having the argument right now.

"He's a man!" Hakota exclaimed.

She shook her head "I've known him since he was a boy. Aang would never do anything to hurt me."

"It's not hurting you I'm afraid of" he responded, looking up at his only daughter. Maybe she was right; he didn't want to admit that she was growing up. He didn't want to see that she wasn't the same person she used to be. She had grown so much, into a beautiful young woman. "I just don't want you rushing in to… Something you're not ready for."

"Wasn't it you a couple days ago that was pushing us to be married?" Katara asked, an eyebrow lifted as she watched the nervous man before her.

He frowned "that wasn't exactly what I was talking about Katara."

"I know exactly what you were talking about dad. Doesn't that come hand in hand with marriage anyways?" She took in a deep breath "don't answer that, I'm going to find the others." She stepped out of the tent and into the chill of the air. She barely noticed how cold it really was out anymore.

Aang was waiting outside; he smiled at her as she approached "how much did you hear?" She asked, greeting her boyfriend with a chaste kiss on the lips. He smiled and hugged her tightly.

"I heard most of it" he admitted with complete honesty, looking towards the mouth of the tent. "I think it's about time your dad and I had a conversation."

Katara looked at him suspiciously "don't get yourself in trouble" she told him simply. He was a gentle person so there wasn't much chance of there being any yelling. He nodded his head and stepped into the tent. To be respectful, Katara moved away from the tent so she couldn't eavesdrop on the two. She made her way to the tent where Sokka had made his home and walked in.

Toph and him were sitting on the ground, her laying there and him sitting cross legged, staring down as they spoke. "Hey Katara" Sokka said, grinning up at her. "How's it going?"

"Aangs talking to dad" was her short response, and even the look on Sokkas face confirmed her fear that there was no way this could end well.

"Yeah, he's as good as gone" Toph added, a sly smirk on her face.

Katara drew a deep breath and took a seat by them "I don't like the way dad is treating him. He used to love Aang when he was plotting Ozais defeat.

Sokka put a hand on his sisters shoulder "Aang may be the avatar, but in dads eyes he's just your boyfriend. Cut him some slack, consider it a good thing that he doesn't base his opinion of Aang on whether he's famous or not." Sokka smiled warmly at her "I'm sure Aang will in the end appreciate fighting for our dads respect."

Katara looked at her brother; he had a point, if Hakota respected Aang as only the avatar, that wouldn't build a very good family relationship. "Thank you Sokka" she replied, looking at him and smiling. "That means a lot to me."

Toph sat up and looked straight at Katara even though she couldn't see "personally, I don't think your dad is going to like Aang until he marries you."

Katara went a lovely shade of red "we're not thinking about that yet."

"Which means they've thought about it and agreed not to" Sokka told Toph, earning a smack from his sibling.

She couldn't help but smile though "just because we've talked about it doesn't mean anything has changed."

"Oh really?" Sokka drawled with a mischievous look on his face "then why, the last time I was in Republic City, did I hear you sneaking off to his room at night? Then sneaking back in the morning?"

"You slept in his room!?" Toph shouted and Katara slapped a hand over her mouth, glaring at Sokka.

She rolled her eyes "Sokka, it's platonic."

"Relationships aren't platonic."

She sighed "I sleep in there sometimes, okay? It's not like we're doing anything inappropriate."

He shuddered and closed his eyes "I don't want to think about that."

The tribe ate dinner together that night, around a fire. After two nights, her father had thrown a celebration dinner for them being home. Aang remained silent for most of it, occasionally leaning over to say something to Katara, Toph, or Sokka. Hakota would look at him and he would instantly be silent. Katara wondered what they spoke of to make the usually articulate man so quiet.

Katara leaned over to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulder "what'd you two talk about? You're so quiet" she whispered.

He put his hand on her back and kissed her cheek, moving his arm to wrap lightly around her waist "nothing important, but it was a good talk."

"You've been quiet all through supper" she responded, pulling back a bit to look up at him. He had grown taller than her, and it was something she had grown to love about him. Then again, Katara had grown to love most things about him. From his quirky, goofy attitude, to the way he instantly calmed down when he heard her voice. All the way down to the things that annoyed her, like how unorganized he tended to be. Air couldn't be organized, it was everywhere; Aang was a lot like that.

Although he had his flaws, she had learned to look past them. Challenges rose up as they did in any relationship; they had their differences, their fights. They had never wavered in their loyalty to each other though. Hakota looked at them as they spoke, Aang insisting that he was fine, they just had a talk. Katara insisting that she knew better. They weren't watching him, and he allowed himself to smile; as hard as he had been on the kid the past couple of days, as much as he didn't want his little girl to grow up, he respected Aang.

He knew Aang wasn't going to hurt Katara or make her do anything she wouldn't want, and he had to test him. Anyone who was eventually marrying into this family had to be strong. Especially with Sokka as a brother-in-law.

Aang had come in to his tent earlier to speak with him, asking why he disliked Aang so much. Hakota had been honest, he didn't dislike Aang; he never had. He wanted Aang to earn his respect, probe himself worry of his only daughter. He didn't care that Aang had saved the world, or brought a city to life; none of that mattered when it came to loving his daughter. He needed to know Aang had the best intentions before he let him have Katara.

Maybe he was slightly jealous, he missed having his daughter at home; and she was rarely there now. He had Sokka there, but he wanted both of them. It was selfish, she was finding her way in the world, but it felt too soon. The last few years she was at home he hadn't been there, at war with the fire nation instead. He had felt horrid, what if she had been taken during a raid?

Of course she was safe, she was skilled. Yet he couldn't blame himself; if he had been home, would they have gone out that morning? Would they have found Aang in that ice? They may not have been as far as they were today and the avatar would still be unfound. That wasn't something he wanted to think about.

**So I thought I had more to write, but I looked, and I don't xD I'll update again soon. I wasn't intending to update daily.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I get bored at night if you're wondering why I update more than I should xD I promised myself I wouldn't update every night, but it appears I am doing so. So enjoy another chapter, and I hoped it lives up to you expectations. I'm hoping for things to pick up soon. There will probably be a point where I have to make this M rated. Who knows, I might not wait for marriage for things to happen :P Hey, it does happen.**

Laughter filled the air as bodies turned in graceful motion; traditional water tribe music played through instruments, it was a beautiful sight to behold, truthfully. Balls of fire were suspended in the air, lighting up the area with a bright glow. Aang had them hung there, he really had improved since he was a boy, they didn't waver or grow too bright even though he was dancing around.

He hadn't perfected fire bending still, but he had grown substantially better. Although he had let go of his fear to bend the dangerous element it still came slowly to him. He was no master, that was for sure. He looked at his dancing girlfriend, her hair swaying around her as she moved hypnotically. She was doing what he assumed-judging by how everyone else was dancing- a dance native to the southern water tribe.

Toph was seated on the edge of the group with Sokka; he didn't push her to dance. Her footing wasn't as good as it was on dirt, and she didn't feel comfortable. Hakota had already retreated to his tent to rest. He was a good leader, Aang couldn't help but think. He and Sokka had tents, they had spent their time rebuilding the village and giving better homes to those who needed them. Families and elderly; he didn't care if he slept in the nights chill.

Aang smiled down at Katara, wrapping his hand around hers. She was bossy, she was obsessed with everything being perfect, the opposite of him, and he loved that; their flaws balanced the others out, and he wouldn't have it any other way. He pulled her in closer, wrapping his arms gently around her waist. Katara stood on her toes, wrapping her own around his neck and moving in to kiss him on the lips.

The crowd was dying down now, the sun had set so long ago that they decided rest might be a good idea. So Aang finally allowed the makeshift lanterns to un-light themselves, leaving everyone bathed in the light of the moon. The music was still playing; a slow haunting tune that brought tears to Kataras eyes. Aang pulled away as he felt the wet tears hit his face "Katara?" He asked in a worried voice "what's wrong?"

"This is the song they played at my mother's funeral" she whispered, looking away from Aang and burying her face in his tunic "it's nice to have a happy memory to relate to it." He held her close as they shifted back and forth from foot to foot. It was a calm moment despite the tears running down her face. Aang pushed her fallen hair out of her face and lightly kissed her forehead.

He took in a deep breath and put his hand on her chin, lifting her face up to meet his eyes. "Katara" he whispered, smiling at her "I love you."

The young girls eyes widened as she looked at him, sure, they had said it when they were younger. That was before they knew what love really was in the way of a relationship. It had been almost four years since they had truly admitted their feelings for each other. Both of them believed it was love all along, but they hadn't wanted to say love just in case it wasn't true.

She watched him with curious eyes as he smiled down at her, here was this boy that she had been seeing for years staring down at her and professing his love. Here she was, saying nothing because she was too entranced by those grey eyes. "Aang" she whispered simply. He had an intense look in her eyes, one that made her believe he was serious when he said that. She loved him as well, but she couldn't get the words out.

He smiled down at her and brushed her hair out of her face again, rubbing her cheek with his thumb and smiling "you don't have to say anyth…"

"I love you too" she finally managed once she overcame the shock of what he had just admitted to her. She stood on her toes again to press her lips against his. It was sweet at first, but turned rough fast. She could never get enough of the man standing in front of her, every time she saw him it was like she was under a spell. One that made her fall harder every time he opened his mouth to speak.

The song had come to an end a few moments ago but neither member of the twosome noticed until they broke apart. Katara blushed and hugged him tighter to her, leaning her head against his chest and closing her eyes. Aang had opted for a water tribe outfit today, even the Avatar got cold. It was a wonder he had made it through the first day they met without frost bite.

He was wearing a thick blue tunic coat that reached mid-thigh and a pair of dark blue pants with brown leather boots. Somehow, she only found him even more attractive in this outfit. He was of all four nations, and although he had been born in one he would always be the great uniting tool of the four. "Let's go for a walk" he whispered, glancing at Toph and Sokka.

She nodded her head, quickly telling her brother that they would be back soon.

They walked in silence for a while, his arm around Katara and her arm around his waist. They didn't need to speak, there were no words that wouldn't ruin the moment. So they kept walking until they reached the water. Katara smiled, breathing in the moist air near the ocean. It was as if the water reacted to her mere presence. It churned and made small waves, and she knelt down, sticking her hands in like she was greeting it. Air Bender Island may have been surrounded by water, but it would never be the same as this.

She stood again, wiping her hands off on her jacket. Aang grabbed them and with a skilled use of fire bending, managed to warm them. She smiled "you've gotten so much better. From burning my hands to warming them." Her tone made no doubt that she was praising him and not meaning to just bring up a painful memory for both of them.

She put her hands in the pockets of his jacket and pulled him closer. His arms were around her in a moment as they sunk to the ground. She pulled her arms out of his pockets and placed both of them around his waist, smiling "it's so peaceful out here" she whispered.

"I know" he said softly, looking up to the moon. He couldn't help but wonder if when Sokka looked up there he still saw Yue, and wished it hadn't have happened the way it did. He had moved on and was happy, but he was sure that couldn't stop the pain. If he ever lost the girl wrapped in his arms, he didn't know if he could ever move on properly.

She hummed the soft tune of a song they had heard at the part, her eyes half closed as she watched the water, as it danced for her and the moon, for Yue and Katara. Aang smiled to himself, noticing he wasn't the only thing she had an effect on. "How did I get so lucky?" He whispered, smiling down at her and running a hand through her hair.

She looked up at him "huh?" But back to the water when he shook his head.

"Your dad and I talked about a lot of things today" he whispered, rubbing her back "and I know we agreed not to get married."

She looked up at him suspiciously "…But?"

"I think we should at least make some sort of progress, for his sake" Aang said, looking out at the sea and putting one of his hands in his pocket.

She lifted an eyebrow "what do you mean Aang?"

He pulled his hand out, a clenched fist. She looked up at him and sat up properly as he removed his arm from around her. "I mean he wants us to be at least engaged, but that isn't what we want, right?"

"Right" Katara responded, looking into his eyes, and then turning to his clenched fist.

He grinned at her and opened his fist, revealing a carved blue stone. It carried the symbol for the air nomads on it and was held on a brown leather strap. He smiled at her gently "I carved it myself, and I was going to wait a while, but I can always make another one. Will you wear this? For me, and so your father is pleased?" He went a lovely shade of pink as she looked up at him, quickly adding "it doesn't have to mean anything to us other than that I love you, but it can mean whatever he wants it to."

She pulled his head down with her hands on the back of his neck, kissing his lips lightly "it would be my honor, Avatar Aang" she teased and her reached around her neck, clasping it under her hair. She felt the necklace the Master Pakku had given her grandmother and sighed "I guess I have no need for this" she whispered, taking it off and putting it in her pocket. She put her hand on the new necklace; it was the start of a new life. Her old necklace symbolized her mother, and she wasn't going to forget her.

This one was her new family "even if it's not going to mean something, I don't want another; one day it'll mean something important to us, and I don't need something else." She got to her feet and offered a hand "we should get back though, it's getting late."

Aang took her hand to help himself to his feet; he had no shame in getting her help; not at all. They walked back hand in hand, the chill of the air barely felt against their blushing faces. The village had already gone to bed when they were back and Katara looked to her 'fiancé.'

"Think I could spend a few hours with you?" She asked, leaning her head against his shoulder "talk more about what my dad told you?"

He nodded and they stepped into his tent. Katara kicked off her shoes and stepped on to the tarp, sitting down on the bed and pulling the covers back so he could crawl under before she pulled them back.

Aang laid down with her and she pulled the covers up around their shoulders "well, first of all he told me he doesn't want to see you hurt, which I understand. He was never mad at me he told me, he just needed to be sure I wasn't going to end up leaving you or something. Just the typical fatherly paranoia." Katara chuckled and he continued "I promised him I had every intention of marrying you" he whispered and Katara was glad for the darkness of the tent as a blush crept up her cheeks.

"Oh, do you?" She teased, kissing his nose "well that's good to know."

"He asked when I intended to ask you, and I told him I wanted to soon." Katara wasn't sure if that was true or just for her father's sake, so she kept her mouth shut. "He simple nodded, and told me that just because I was the Avatar not to expect special treatment. He also told me he had my blessing if I wanted to ask you."

"Well that's great, at least we know that we'll have it whenever we do decide to get married" her face was redder than she remembered but she didn't mind, Aang was the only one that brought that out in her.

They were silent for the next few hours save for a few kisses and simple words such as "are you cold." If the answer was yes, Aang would warm them up easily. Or if it were no, he would do the opposite by not letting off any heat. Sometimes, being the Avatars girlfriend had its perks. Finally, as the sun was coming up, Katara looked to him. "I should walk back to my tent. Everyone will be awake soon" she chuckled and he grabbed her around the waist, kissing her passionately and making her head spin.

"Stay safe, I'll see you soon" he said in a sleepy voice, they had stayed awake all night.

Katara walked out of the tent and wandered to her, a dreamy look on her face as she felt the necklace with her fingers. Even though it didn't mean anything, it sure felt like it did. "You're not where you should be" a voice said from behind her.

**Well, I enjoyed writing this chapter :D Hope you enjoy reading it.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry I haven't updated everyone, I've been… I'm not gonna lie, I've been watching Doctor Who and neglecting my fan fiction duties. I think that's sufficient reason to not write? No? Okay. Anyhow, enjoy the chapter, and… Yeah :D**

Katara spun around as the voice spoke, nervous; who could be there? She ignored the fact that it was a woman's voice as she briefly nursed the thought that perhaps it was her father. "Kyda!" The girl exclaimed happily when she saw who was there. Instantly, she leapt into her old friends arms and embraced her in a hug. "It's been ages!"

The girl laughed, pulling away and examining her old friend. She was shorter than her by a few inches, with short dark hair cut in a bob. Her eyes were the same blue and her skin the same dark color. "Why haven't you stopped in to say hello yet? Forgotten me have you?" Her tone was light and playful, yet there was seriousness in her eyes.

"I've been a bit preoccupied with fatherly issues; why weren't you at the celebration?" She questioned; her hands still on her friend's upper arms as she watched her with a tempered gaze. Her friend had barely aged a day since she had last seen her, still as tiny as she had been since they were young teens. "I missed you, goodness did I miss you."

She chuckled, brushing her hair back from her eyes "well, you know me; I was never one for parties." Katara knew the girl was teasing, she had once brought her to Republic City to visit, only once, and the girl had been out all night hopping from one place to the other. Katara, despite a very worried Aang had followed along, having a few drinks as well. They had stumbled through the door at nearly four in the morning, jackets half hanging off their shoulders and hair in wild tangles.

Aang had not been too pleased, having waited up for the two of them; but he had been glad to see Katara smile and laugh like that, to let herself go. Even if it was in a way that-as a monk- he wouldn't generally approve of. How could he disapprove though, of something that made her so pleasantly happy? "Well" Kyda added with a slight wink "not parties that my family attend." The girls chuckled and linked arms "so why _were_ you in Aangs tent?" She asked, laughter playing across her face.

Katara blushed deeply, barely aware of it even though the chill of the air hit her face brutally. "We were just talking, just lying there" she whispered, which was the truth in all aspects. She smiled, that young boy that she had so easily fallen in love with had changed so much over the years, but she learned to love his new self. He was calmer, had less issues with his attention span; yet Aang was still that playful boy she had known so many years ago.

He would pick her up and spin her through the air before pulling her into his arms and kissing her; that boy never let her forget that he loved her more than anything. "You really love him, don't you?" Kyda asked, grabbing her friends hand as they walked "I can see it in your eyes, you space out when you think about him."

This caused Katara to blush deeper; it was one thing for her to space out around Aang, he was often clueless as to what she was thinking. Kyda knew her too well; even now, she knew what her friend was thinking. "I do love him" she said, putting her hand on that necklace, the necklace that supposedly meant nothing to them, but they both knew it meant everything. A promise, that one day they would have the real thing; that he wasn't getting rid of her that easily.

Kyda took notice to this and stopped, turning to face her friend. She took Kataras hand and looked at the beautiful necklace. "No," she breathed, staring at it as if she weren't sure it was real. "Don't tell me you're to be married and you didn't even let me know!"

Katara sighed "can you keep a secret Kyda?"

"I'm your best friend, of course I can" she told her, linking arms with her once again as they continued to walk around.

Katara shook her head, deciding to trust her; there wasn't much trouble to get in around here anyways. "My dad was pressuring Aang and I basically, he thinks it's not respectable for the two of us to be living out there unmarried. Thinks I'll be corrupted" Kyda laughed at this, was it really that odd of an idea for Aang to corrupt someone? "This necklace, it was meant to be for me whenever we decided we were ready, but Aang gave it to me last night. It doesn't _really_ mean anything; it's more to silence my dad." Katara chuckled and looked to the ground, smiling to herself. At least Aang cared about what her father thought, even if they were tricking him into thinking otherwise.

Kyda was silent for a minute as she took in what her friend had just said. "So you're not actually engaged?" She wondered quietly, keeping her voice low to avoid anyone hearing. Katara nodded her head slightly, looking around. Most people were still asleep, a few were up and working already; even some children, although sleepy looking had come out of bed to help. She did miss this, the togetherness of a small village.

Yet there was something about the new city that she loved, it had its own appeal just as her old home had its. "Do you ever miss it here?" Kyda wondered, staring up at the sky with a smile, of course she missed home, but she couldn't leave Aang all alone on that island, it wouldn't be right.

"Sometimes, but then I remember where I am. I remember who I'm there for, and it doesn't hurt as much" she smiled to herself. "I love it here, and there. I wish we could make it over here more, but that's difficult to do sometimes. Things get quite busy over in the city."

"I remember. Last time I was there, Aang barely had any time to say hello. I didn't even see him until I was too drunk to remember it in the morning." Kyda chuckled at the memory, Katara smiled in return; Kyda had loved the city, but refused to stay; her mother had fallen ill a couple of years before, and had passed away a few days after she returned. That left her to take care of her two younger siblings, she loved them, but sometimes it hurt. She was so young, and now had responsibilities. She didn't party anymore to say the least.

Katara had done everything she could to make it easier on them, requesting that her father help in any way possible; but being so far away there wasn't a whole lot she could do. Yeah, sometimes it was hard being there, while everyone else was here. A few times she had even wondered if it was worth it, but in the end she decided it was. She decided Aang was worth it; and what they were doing for the benders and non-benders of the world was in fact a good thing.

"Those were the days" Katara chuckled, thinking back to it. She had remembered everything, including her friend unknowingly hitting on the avatar. She hadn't met him before, and really had just assumed he was one of the air acolytes that lived on the island. Katara had immediately steered her away from the boy with the lifted eyebrows and brought her upstairs before slipping back down to say goodnight to Aang.

Kyda looked towards Hakotas tent where he was emerging "thank you, I wouldn't have made it past these few years with the children if you hadn't helped" she smiled to her friend and bowed her head slightly "I am forever thankful."

Katara shook her head slightly as she walked her friend towards her dad "don't thank me; it's what friends are for." She watched as Aang finally emerged, dressed in fresh clothes. He winked at her and walked over, kissing the top of her head and earning a quiet 'awe' from Kyda.

"I'll leave you to it, come visit me soon! I miss you Katara" with that, she walked away, leaving the two alone with her dad facing them.

Katara smiled up at the tall air nomad "good morning Avatar" she teased, nudging him in the ribs with her elbow.

He looked down at her with an intense look in his eyes that made her shiver "good morning, my beautiful fiancé" he whispered in her ear, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and sending another shiver down her spine.

"I like the sound of that" she responded as they paused, waiting for Hakota to come to them.

He smirked back and rubbed her arm "one day I'll say it, and it's going to be completely true." He told her in an equally quiet tone "you're already beautiful though, just to clear that up."

Unable to help herself, Katara giggled, feeling her face go red. Somehow he always managed to make her feel like she was twelve with her first crush (which had been some water tribe boy that turned into a complete idiot.) "Well, we'll have to make it true eventually then, won't we?" She asked, grabbing his hand that was draped over her shoulder.

Aang looked up and smiled as Hakota approached them; he eyed the necklace around Kataras neck and smiled, nodding to Aang who rivaled him in height. Although, unlike her father, the Avatar still had a lanky build. She couldn't help but wonder if that was one of the things that came with being an air bender, to be light on their feet, and light in body so that they could move quickly. "Morning Dad" she said, leaning up to kiss his cheek and give him a proper hug.

"Good morning" he responded with a smile.

"Yes, it is" was Aangs response to that, unable to help himself. Occasionally he would blurt things out without thinking; but luckily for him he had the smarts to think before he spoke on important matters. In meetings with the four nations he managed to hold his tongue until something needed to be said.

People all around them were waking up now, and Katara was feeling slightly tired, but the energy of the morning was giving her a slight buzz that she knew would keep her going for a while. She always managed to find some source of energy, even if she had to take a walk down to the water. As a water bender, she drew her energy from the moon. Needless to say, half the time she was a bit of a night owl.

"Are you alright Katara?" Hakota asked, looking at his daughter carefully.

"I'm fine! Just a little bit tired" she responded, looking around "so, what can I do to help out around here?"

He looked around, smiling to himself; he was glad that his daughter was so eager to help of course, and glad that she was a water bender. That would make the work all the more easy. "Well, we still have a few more homes to build and such. I'm sure between you and Aang; that should be much easier than making them by hand." They were built out of ice, snow, and animal fur slung up to keep some extra warmth in. Some were in an igloo fashion of a large scale, and some looked almost like normal homes.

With water bending as a tool, they would be able to build things that were better, bigger, and had less chance of collapsing. That had been an issue in the past, a few had collapsed. Although children found it amusing that when they were playing, the walls would fall in, the adults of the tribe didn't find it quite as hilarious; it meant more work for them.

Back then, Katara hadn't been able to help, her bending hadn't been strong enough; now though, she had been trained by master water benders, and spent some afternoons training with the avatar himself. She had in fact helped train sad Avatar, and that was something special to the both of them. Sokka still disliked her water bending half of the time, but now when she soaked him it was on purpose. "Should we get to work?" Aang asked, looking to his 'fiancé' with a smirk.

"We shall" was her only reply as she took her usual bending stance.

**I know it's not much, I'm gonna try and get more into things soon! Maybe try and get some Zuko in… I think I said that before, but I didn't…. Maybe… Or I dreamt that. ANYWAYS, yeah, I'll try not to get TOO into Doctor Who and forget to update again!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the slow update, I've actually been doing things shockingly. Saw Rise Of The Guardians today. OMFG was it amazing. Anywho, on with the show!**

"Avatar Aang" one of the air acolytes said, bowing to Aang as they dismounted from Appa. "Lady Katara" he said in turn. She smiled at the man as Aang wrapped his arm around her waist. They walked in to the building they had claimed as home, smiling to themselves; God was it good to be home.

Katara looked up and stood on her tip toes, kissing Aang gently on the lips "it's good to be home" she whispered.

"Do you miss it yet?" Aang asked in response, they had spent a couple of days travelling back, dropping Toph home on the way. Sokka had promised he would come visit soon; along with promises that he wouldn't bring their father. All in all, that could only be considered a disaster.

Katara smiled as they stood in the middle of the main room, gazing at each other "not yet, I'm just glad it's you and I again." She whispered; Aang reached around, his hands on the back of her neck. He removed the hand carved necklace and reached into his pocket, pulling out her mothers.

"I suppose since we're not there, you don't need to wear this" he whispered, reaching to put her mother's old necklace around her neck. She took his hand and shook her head, reaching for the necklace he had made. She took it in her hand and placed it around her neck, covering the gem that rested on her collar bone. "Don't you want to wear your mothers?" He asked, looking at her curiously.

She shook her head slightly "no, I love my mother, but it's time to wear something new. That necklace had meaning, my old life." She gazed at the old necklace before dropping her hand from the gem "this one represents my future." She looked him in the eye and saw all of his passion, his love for her; unable to help herself from smiling, she hugged him, her arms around his neck. He wrapped his own around her waist, lifting her in the air. They stood like that for who knows how long before Aang finally let her back down to her feet, his arms staying securely around her.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you?" Aang whispered in her ear, his voice full of emotion "do you have any idea how much I want that necklace to mean something real?"

"It's something real to me" she whispered back, throwing all the emotion she had for Aang into her words. "It may not mean we're to be wed, but it means I'm yours; no one else's, yours forever and always." She pressed her lips to his and he cupped her face in his hands, holding her close. They pulled away and he looked at her, smiling.

He opened his mouth to speak and closed it again, trying to find the right way to word what he wanted to say. "It means many things" he whispered "and someday, it could be tomorrow, it could be two years from now or a month from not" he looked down at her "it will be real. I promise you, I'm not letting you go."

She hugged him tight, moving her arms around his waist and burying her face in his shoulders. She was strong; she wasn't one to cry in emotional moments like this "Don't get too caught up in Avatar duties" she said with a smile, knowing he wouldn't. If he did, he would be back on track soon enough.

"I won't" he chuckled.

They stood there for a while before she looked up at him again. "Okay, I'm going to go train a bit, then I'll make some dinner."

"I'll join you" Aang responded, following her outside and down the steps to the water. None of the acolytes bothered them; they went about their own business. Katara knelt down by the water, smiling at the smooth glassy surface. It had been ages since she had done any proper water bending, although she knew she wouldn't be out of touch with it, she missed the closeness to her element.

She stood and began her fluid movements, making the tendrils of water move around her, freezing and unfreezing. She smiled at the thick ropes of water, turning on her heel and thrusting her arms forward, making the water move as if it were to attack. She pulled her arms back like a whip, the water mimicking her movements. It was graceful yet wild, the one thing that you could do with water. Unlike fire, you didn't need the same sort of control. If you lost control of water, the worst you could do was soak someone to the bone or freeze them. Both could easily be undone.

She saw other water strings entwined with hers and smirked. Aang was copying her movements, they were moving as one. She quickly moved before he could mimic her, the water wrapping around his ankle and pulling. He fell straight into the water and she chuckled, shrieking as she was pulled in after him. He emerged, roaring with laughter. Although she wanted to be mad, somehow, when she saw his smile and heard the boyish laugh, she couldn't be. She splashed him lightly, cupping the water in her hand and tossing it at him. You didn't need bending for that.

He swam over to her and hugged her tightly against him, his warm body a large contrast to the chilly water. Katara shivered and it wasn't from the temperature of the water. She felt goose bumps form on her skin as she looked up to Aang. He looked at her arm and chuckled "are you cold?"

"No" she whispered in response, she wasn't sure how she was feeling.

"You have goose bumps" he whispered in her ear, gently moving them towards the land again. She smiled up at him. "Is that my fault?" He looked smug for a moment before managing to mask it again.

She laughed quietly "aren't you being a little full of yourself?"

"I'm the Avatar" he teased "I'm allowed to be occasionally."

"You're just Aang to me, the goofy boy I found in the ice burg." She responded as they walked across the land, moving back towards the house. Both of them had dried themselves off already, but Katara was still shivering slightly even though it was warm.

He rubbed her arm gently "the goofy boy you fell in love with."

"Some love story; travelled the world together and saved it. That'll be one to tell your grandkids." She turned a shade of red as she spoke, wondering if they would sit and tell their grandchildren about that someday.

He smiled down at her "are you cold?"

"No, I blame you; you're making me shiver" she whispered and he pressed a light kiss to her neck, it was almost like breath brushing against her skin. "Now you're doing it on purpose" she whispered as a shiver ran down her spine.

He laughed quietly "that's what I was aiming for" he whispered. He looked back to their path and Katara looked up at him. She smiled and shook her head.

"You're not the same boy I found back then" she whispered and he smirked.

"Is that a good thing?" He wondered out loud, looking towards the beautiful woman. He was often surprised she stayed with him; especially when they went in to town. His fan club tended to follow them around. Fan club, that wasn't a term for the Avatar happy people, it was a literal fan club. They had been around for years and although the members changed, they all had the same purpose- To make the Avatar fall in love with them. He had always been kind, but had never had an eye for any of them; he had found the girl he wanted to spend forever with, and no one, especially not any other woman, would change that.

She nodded her head and bit her lip "you've grown in a good way, I promise." They walked inside and she grabbed his face gently, pulling him down to her and pressing a kiss to his lips. "If you ever start changing in a bad way, I promise I'll tell you."

She pulled away, but he pulled her in closer, tugging her into his arms and kissing her back. It was gentle, like so many other kisses they had shared, yet more urgent than the others. He loved her, and he wanted her to know that. She did, but she wasn't going to argue when he was pressed so close to her. She recalled all of the things her father said about him corrupting her; he had said it a lot. With his lips against hers, increasingly rough, and his arms holding her close, she realized she wouldn't care if he were to.

They had already agreed that they would be together, eventually married, but this couldn't hurt anything; the closeness, the show of love. It wasn't like they had met a couple of times and decided they wanted to be together, the two had been together for six years; she did wear his engagement necklace after all.

He lifted her off her feet as the kiss deepened. He was carrying her up the stairs, making her pull away and chuckle, looking him in the eyes "this is different" she whispered. They had kissed like that before, but never one that literally took her breath away. They reached the top of the stairs and his lips captured hers again as he walked towards the room they generally shared.

He let her back on her feet and she grinned, walking backwards until she felt the end of the bed against the back of her knees. She stopped moving, still moving her lips against his. "Would you ju…" She started to talk but he moved the rest of the distance, holding her close so she didn't fall on the bed although her legs gave out under her.

Katara couldn't help but smirk as he slowly lowered her down, releasing her from the circle of his arms and taking her hands in his, putting both pairs above their heads. His body lightly pressed against hers as he lowered himself. She moved her lips to where his jaw met his neck and kissed lightly, earning a pleased shudder from her boyfriend.

"Katara" he whispered in a hoarse voice, capturing her lips once again. She removed her hands from his and reached down, grabbing his robes and pulling them over his head. She left his pants on, but moved her hands to his chest, feeling the muscle that had formed over the years of training with the elements. He wasn't over muscled, not in that disgusting way you often saw, but he had enough that it was noticeable.

She smiled and ran her hands along his back where there was the large scar from Azula's lightning. He took in a sharp breath as she ran her soft, warm hands over the sensitive skin. His own hands found their way to the hem of her shirt, lightly tugging it over her head. She now wore a proper under shirt instead of the bandages she had used when they were younger. He observed her; even her in that shirt was beautiful. She was beautiful with her hair draped around her like she had just woken up.

His lips found her collarbone and she moaned, putting her hands on his shoulders and running them over his skin. His blue tattoos combined at his back and ran down his spine, disappearing beneath the dark pants he now wore. "You're amazing" she breathed as she traced the tattoo with a finger. He shivered under her touch and looked up at her.

"You're one to talk" he whispered "Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, I love you." There was so much more he wanted to say, but couldn't without sounding like an idiot.

She chuckled and looked him in the eye "I know" she whispered, giving him one last kiss. "We shouldn't, you know. We shouldn't do… This" she gestured between them. "Not now, someday, but not right now."

He sighed and got to his feet, helping her up before tugging on his robes "you're right, your dad will have my head."

"It's not that, it's just… We're young. Could we handle the consequences of what could happen?" She asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed and pulling her shirt over her head. "I know the idea sounds fun, but we're not ready for a family; not now, when there are so many duties in Republic City."

"I hadn't thought about that" he said honestly, looking to the ground nervously.

"I didn't until now, definitely not in the moment. We should be careful though, very careful. As much as I'd love to see a bunch of new air benders or water benders for the Southern Water Tribe, it's not time yet." She looked out the window and out to the city "they need you just as much as I do… Avatar Aang." Her voice was playful, but her tone was serious at the same time.

He couldn't help but smile at her words "I know they do."

**Sorry to any of you that thought they would be doin the naughty xD They didn't. Obviously. But on the bright side, they're cute :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for not updating sooner, things have been wild I guess. Kind of? I HAVE A NEW KITTY. It's my third cat, and her name is Gallifrey, she's all mine. She's a cutie too. Calico mixed with a tabby cat. I love her, and she absolutely loves to lay on you and cuddle. Hmm, shout out to bs13 who never fails to review and bring a smile to my face with every chapter. Once again, I'm sorry for not updating! I'm serious when I say things are crazy. Work, it turns crazy around Christmas. You're all amazing, and I have NOT given up on this story, Christmas rush is just a huge rush! Maybe I'll give you a special Christmas update :D Like, Christmas based, so yeah, enjoy the update, and stay beautiful every single one of you3**

The day was a cold one for republic city, and most people were hiding away in their homes from the nip of the wind. Happily sealed in a tamed ball of air, a couple strolled through the streets, undisturbed by the high winds or the people.

"It's so quiet" Katara whispered, looking around her, they were on their way to meet with Fire Lord Zuko and a few of his guests. Even though he had a nation to run, he made visits to his friends, even if they were short. They weren't meeting at Air Bender Island this time, but in a small tea shop that rested on the border of town. It was quiet, and undiscovered by most people. It was also a branch of the Jasmine Dragon situated in the new town.

Most people were unaware of that fact as well, but as correspondents of Iroh, the Avatar and his friends had known since Iroh had decided to make it. "I wonder what Zuko has to say" he said quietly and Katara rolled her eyes, Aang had been worried since he received the letter, worrying that something may be wrong. There was nothing of course that had gone wrong, they would have heard of it before.

"Stop worrying yourself sick Aang, Zuko is probably just stopping in for a visit. You know how he is; he does come at the most… Odd times." His visits were never planned in advance, just given a couple of days notice before he showed up. For a Fire Lord, he was rather disorganized sometimes. Yet he was strong, and he loved his citizens. He truly was twice the man Ozai had ever been.

Aang chuckled and wrapped his arm around Katara "I know," he said, the knot in his stomach not undoing at her words. "I guess I'm just a bit stressed out."

"We can take care of that after we have tea with a friend" she told him, stopping and putting a hand on his cheek, turning him to face her. "Until then" she whispered "try and just put on a smile, there's nothing wrong." She lightly kissed him on the lips and began walking again; they were silent for a few minutes until they reached the shop.

It was nearly noon, when they were meant to meet him there, and Aang briefly considered turning on his heels and running despite the fact that Katara may skin him alive when she got home. She felt him tense up and put a hand on his back, lightly pushing him through the doors. "Everything will be fine" she said as they stepped in. Zuko and Mai were sitting in a corner booth, his arm around her shoulders. She looked almost as dull as she always did, which was less so than during the war.

Zuko brought out the better side of her, and she kept him grounded as the fire lord. Fire Lord, and Fire Lady. They made a good pair, they truly did.

Mai half smiled when she saw them walking forward and Zuko got to his feet, placing his hand on his chest and bowing his head to Aang.

Aang did the same before walking forward and hugging his old friend, anyone could tell the man was a bundle of nerves. Aang had never been very good at hiding his emotions, and that was something most people couldn't see changing. He may have grown up around monks, but he really was a very emotional person. "It's good to see you again, Zuko" he said, stepping away as him and Katara greeted the couple and took their seats. "It's been a while, have you been busy?"

They had gotten married two years ago, and since their brief breakup over Zuko keeping secrets, they had only become stronger. They challenged each other which was one of the reasons they got along so well. Neither person would have done well with someone who did as they were told all the time. The Fire Lord needed someone to stand up to him, tell him when he was wrong. Mai needed someone that made her see something good in the world, and he did that.

"Busy doesn't quite cut it, things are still trying to be smoothed over with the earth king, and this one demands most of my time other than that." He smirked at Mai who lightly pushed him, resisting the strong urge to roll her eyes.

She cracked a smile "he's exaggerating" she informed the other two. "I like my alone time just as much as he does." They were both smiling by now, a sight rarely seen to most people.

Katara smiled and pulled her legs on the chair, crossing them comfortably as she watched the others "if I recall, Mai, your father has been assigned as the leader to another village, am I correct?" She asked, watching the other girl and assessing her reaction.

"Yes, thanks to Zuko. They're living comfortably there." She nodded "my brother has grown so much, although I don't see him very much anymore."

"Is it very far from you?" She asked in response as the two boys talked in hushed tones; they were probably talking about something important that wasn't to be overheard by others, that, or they were simply sharing stories. The two didn't often like others to hear their conversations. Anything between the fire lord and the avatar could cause trouble if taken out of context.

Mai shrugged her shoulders "about a day's ride." She told her, looking out the window next to them. There was almost nothing surrounding the building save for grass and some trees. It gave it a nice atmosphere to sit and take tea in. There were two other people in the tea house, sitting at the opposite side of the room. There was also a couple of workers lingering around, waiting for someone to make a new order. "I prefer it that way anyways; to be honest, I love my family, but having them too close to home can be a bit overwhelming sometimes. Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"Zuko" Katara said quietly, looking to the dark haired man. He had his arms folded over his chest and was leaned back slightly, looking at her. He nodded his head to show he was listening, and then moved his arms to his sides, one of them taking Mai's hand. They had grown comfortable enough around each other that a small show of affection like this wasn't much. "Have you gotten any word about your mother?" The man had sent multiple parties out to find her, and had even tried to get Azula to sweet talk their father into telling, but even though it had been four years since the beginning of the hunt, they had only gotten bum leads.

Zuko looked down at the table, leaning forward with his free arm on the table. He looked at the two of them, nervously biting the inside of his lip. "I think we've gotten something, but I'm not sure. That's part of the reason I came here." He looked around, then back at Aang. Katara knew Aang would agree to help his friend, no matter the cost. Aang wouldn't hesitate if Zuko were in need. The Fire Lord had so many times been there for him; the two seemed to be in a never ending circle of favors. They didn't mind at all; but their female other halves worried each time one of them went to help the other with something dangerous.

Aang was silent, urging Zuko to go on; his eyes spoke all that needed to be said. "They need you, I need you" his voice was almost a whisper. "It's in one of the ancient Fire Nation cities. They're nearly abandoned, and the perfect place to hide someone. No one ventures there, and the soldiers won't unless they have an escort. To be honest, I don't blame them. The stories of this town are frightening. They say there's an ancient beast that guards it, of course that could have been a rumor made up by my father, but we'll never know until we're there. You're the only person I trust enough to go with my troops, and my duties as Fire Lord won't allow me to go there." He looked pained at that admittance, that he couldn't be the one to save his mother.

There was an almost uncomfortable silence around the table as people absorbed what had just been said. Katara and Aang both looked shocked, there had been word that all the ancient fire nation cities had been wiped out during the war; another lie of Ozai no doubt. "I'll do it" Aang told him, he couldn't deny his curiosity over what was happening there, a beast, he had faced many of those in his 18 years. Nothing could have been waiting there that he didn't already know about. The soldiers guarding her must have been some of the ones still loyal to their old lord.

Katara looked to Aang and set her hand on his "it could be dangerous" she whispered. His eyes were an emotion she couldn't determine; but what she did see in them was his determination. It was a fiery look that he only wore on certain 'occasions.'

"I know" he replied, squeezing her hand lightly to reassure her.

She looked down and bit her lip "what if something were to happen, and you got hurt."

"Katara, I've been through worse I'm sure; Ozai was hard, his soldiers can't be any worse than that." He chuckled and she cracked a smile, although nervous, she knew he wasn't going to back down from this.

Mai whispered something to Zuko and he nodded "I have a meeting with some of the sources tomorrow, and if we want to be back in time; we should be going. I'll send you a message when the time comes."

The two stood and said their goodbyes before walking out the door. Katara looked scared "Aang, you have to back out" she said when the others had left.

"I can't do that Katara" he said, trying to meet her gaze. She wouldn't look him in the eyes so gently he grabbed her chin and aimed her face to meet his. "I'll be okay, I'll have soldiers with me; I'm the Avatar. I'm in control of the state, this will be a breeze."

"What about the beast?" She asked, still watching him when he dropped his hand.

He smiled and kissed her forehead lightly "forget about it Katara, it's probably a lie made up by Ozai to keep people away anyways." He pulled away and got to his feet "let's go home, I'm sure it's going to be a long night of thinking for you." She really was always overthinking things, and that was okay; she worried a lot too. It was something you got used to over time, you got to overlooking the motherly attitude and realizing it was just care.

The way home was quick, Aang didn't want to waste time. They used the glider to get there, going over the city. "It's beautiful up here" Katara whispered breathlessly as she looked down over the buildings, holding on to the glider for dear life. She may have been dating an air bender for years, but flying wasn't natural to her, and she was still trying to get used to it.

A few minutes later, they landed, Katara trying to find her balance. It took her a second to shake off the feeling of the ground going out from under her, and she hung on to Aang's arm until it passed.

It was a few moments before a laughing voice spoke "Well, look who finally decided to join the party."

**Once again, I am SOOO SOOO sorry! And I'm sorry it's short, I'm exhausted and I really wanted to get this out for you all 3**


	8. Chapter 8

**I am so so sorry to the beautiful followers of this story. It's been a long, stressful few months :\ I haven't meant to not upload; but I haven't had the time to even write a little bit for my own novels like I intended to. So I really do apologize for the late update.**

Katara turned on the spot, quickly moving into her stance for water bending. Some water flew out of the vase to her right as she spun to send it towards the intruder. Moments before it sent them throttling back, Katara realized it was no one other than her brother. The water splashed in his face and Aang couldn't help but laugh full heartedly as he was the soaked man standing there. Katara attempted to stifle her giggles but to no avail.

"You, me, magic water; must it always end this way" Sokka said sarcastically as he looked down at his soaked clothes. He was nearly sent flying back, unprepared, as a sudden burst of wind was tossed his way. It was warm, and somehow managed to dry him off although his hair ended up in a wild mess around his face. "Thanks, Aang" he murmured his appreciation.

Katara stepped forward and hugged her brother with a smile "I didn't think you would be here so soon" she told him. Not that they hadn't been expecting a visit, but when they came home to someone in their place it did seem rather odd. The young water bender couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed; she would have to stay in her own bed for the duration of his stay.

Aang, although it had been years since the war, still had nightmares about it sometimes; Katara was the only buffer between him and those terrors. When he woke up to her, it seemed less horrible; some good had come out of it after all. "Well, always expect me to show up when you least expect it" Sokka responded, stepping away from his sister and watching the two of them carefully. "I got a message from Zuko; he wants me to join you" his eyes were focused on Aang as he spoke, lightly wrapping an arm around his sisters shoulders. He knew she would worry far too much for her own good; with the two people she loved most going to face unknown dangers.

Aang nodded, unsure of how to respond to his news "will you accept?" He finally asked after a few moments, it would definitely not be an easy task. They had searched for so long and not found anything; Ozai had given so many false leads and Azula hadn't been much help despite wanting to find her as much as Zuko-although not for the same reasons.

Sokkas eyes trained on Katara who was biting her lip; she was strong and wasn't going to break over it, they all knew this was a dangerous mission. After all, nothing Ozai could have planned would be easy. It was difficult to imagine both your brother and your boyfriend going away though. "We'll talk about it later" Sokka said, wrapping his other arm around Katara and looking to Aang.

Katara stepped away quickly, an annoyed look on her face and one hand rested on her hip "no, we'll talk about this now." The annoyance turned into the fierce, determined look she often bore "I'm not letting you two idiots go alone; you'll get yourselves killed-the Fire Lord isn't much better. If you're going… Then I'm coming with you."

Their protests were hushed quickly with one look to her. Aang had gone to speak up, probably some nonsense about not wanting to see her hurt. "I trained you in water bending Aang; I think I can take care of myself…"

"Technically he surpassed you at your own thing pretty quickly" Sokka poked in, earning another glare from his younger sister that could have sent the most frightening fire nation soldier running to their mother. "I'll just shut up now" he said, moving to the nearest chair to sit down.

Aang stepped over, putting his hands on her shoulders lightly; "you're not backing down on this, are you?" He asked lightly and she shook her head, not caring to say the words out loud. She didn't need to, he would understand. As she expected, he bobbed his head up and down "okay, I get it."

He pulled her in for a hug "I know you're capable of taking care of yourself" he whispered just loud enough for her to hear. "I know you're not weak; I just worry about you… A lot."

"There's really nothing to worry about" she spoke, glaring at Sokka. "We have his trusty boomerang, isn't that enough?" The sarcasm was almost dripping from her words; and was obvious even to the man sitting in the chair. He was in fact having a moment of stroking said boomerang as if it were an animate object with feelings. "My point is proven" she whispered, looking back to Aang. The both of them couldn't help but chuckle at him, much to his displeasure, as he looked up at them with a lifted eyebrow.

"Don't knock boomy! It's gotten us out of a few tight situations!" He fought for the respect for his weapon like one would for their friends. It would have been cute if he were talking to anyone but his sister and best friend.

They joined him in sitting and were like that in silence for a few minutes before anyone spoke "how's dad?" Katara wondered, folding her hands in her lap.

"He's fine; although he's still not very happy with this whole…" He gestured around them, encompassing the whole area with his arms spread "…living situation. I think he wants me to monitor to be completely honest; but I don't really mind. I trust you enough not to put my little sisters respectability on the line" he looked to Aang with a smirk; knowing he was making the younger man uncomfortable. "You though" he added, looking to Katara "I don't trust you enough to not corrupt him." He pinched one of Aangs cheeks, not finding the same thick cheeks that he used to have. It had turned hollower over the years; although not in an overly so way.

He kept well shaved, but there was a defined jaw line quite unlike that of when he was younger. "Look at this, he's so innocent."

Katara and Aang exchanged a brief look, both thinking of how not innocent they had felt together; and both glad they had had the nerve to stop. The look didn't go unnoticed by Sokka, but he chose not to question it; truth be told he had no interest in finding out anything about what they talked about or acted like behind closed doors. No brother would want to think of his sister and best friend in such a way. "So, where will I be staying?"

"How about in town, you snore loud enough to wake the whole island" Katara teased, shoving her brother. He rolled his eyes "in the usual room, where else would I put you?"

"Well apparently across the water! What a sister you are, you dump water on me all the time then tell me to stay in town" he mimicked her bending motions quite well as he spoke about the water, and got to his feet "do you mind if I go freshen up? It was a long travel here."

"Your home is my home" Aang responded, but when met with a confused look from Sokka he responded with "yes, go freshen up."


	9. Chapter 9

**You all are too sweet, seriously; the reviews I got for the last chapter made me want to burst into tears. I just… I can't xD here's another chapter for you sweethearts 3 Happy almost valentines day.**

"Do you really think we'll find Ursa there, Aang?" Katara asked; her arms were folded on his chest with her chin was rested atop of them as she gazed at him. Aang had his eyes closed, looking rather peaceful despite the seriousness of their conversation. For the past ten minutes the two had been discussing the nearing trip into the fire nation; before that, they had spoken about whatever came to mind.

His hands ran up and down her back in a soothing gesture, pressing his lips to her forehead gently and opening his eyes to gaze at her. "There's always the chance" Aang spoke in a quiet voice "that she won't be there; Ozai held many secrets, this is one he won't be giving up quickly. Some of the nation still remains loyal to him; any words taken from the mouths of those who aren't close to Zuko cannot be fully trusted."

Katara sighed and sat up, crossing her legs and grabbing his hands, linking them in her own. A smile spread across his face as she tugged lightly on his hands. Without complaint, he moved to sit, propping himself up against the pillows of the bed. "Don't worry Katara, if we don't find her here we'll find her elsewhere in time" despite the search they had gone on years ago Zuko had never given up hope of someday finding his mother.

"I'm not worried; I know he won't give up… I'm a bit scared though, what if we find her… Dead? What then? That would break him" Zuko had dealt with many things in the past years, none of which involved finding Ursa passed away due to his father's hand.

Aang let go of her hands and cupped her cheeks "don't think like that Katara; it won't come to it. She's alive, if Zuko is sure of it then so am I."

She nodded her head slightly and he smiled, kissing the tip of her nose then her lips. She couldn't help but lean into the kiss, pressing her lips back against his with a demand that wished to be met. Sokka was in town for the day, doing whatever it was he did when he wasn't trying to babysit Katara. That was, in fact, what he had been up to for the last couple of days. Although he didn't really mind them sleeping in the same room, he made it his job to make sure they weren't all too close all of the time.

Katara figured he was continuing the job their father had started; trying to keep the two pure. If not for their father, he would have been doing it to bother the two. Katara ran her hands up Aangs chest, smiling against his lips. She traced his tattoos with her fingertips, making him shiver. When around the house with just the two of them he tended to wear his robes around his hips. She didn't mind; but had a feeling that if Aang was walking around without his shirt on Sokka might have had something to say about it.

Aang mumbled something that went ignored by the young woman as she continued her exploration of his tattoos, her fingers reaching where skin ended at his spine and material started. She chuckled and opened her eyes, bringing her hands back around to his chest and leaning her forehead against his. "How long do you think we have before Sokka gets back?" She wondered out loud, voice but a whisper as she looked him in the eyes.

He lifted an eyebrow in questioning "what're you thinking?"

"A swim" she told him, looking out the window; the sun was beginning to set now and the shadows of the oversized temple were casting darkness over the water nearest to it. Her words were-in fact- quite suggestive; but the monk didn't catch on. He was, sometimes, quite clueless in the way of what Katara meant.

He nodded "I think we'd hear him coming from a mile away. Why would he need to be gone for a swim?" He looked confused at Katara who just chuckled "what's so funny Katara?"

"Have I mentioned that I love you lately?" She asked, laying down and putting her head to his chest, listening to his heartbeat. It was a relaxing melody of sorts; one that she had spent many nights falling asleep to.

He put his arms behind his head, letting himself sink into the mattress once again "not lately, but it's nice to hear. What brought that on?"

"You're kind of clueless" she responded, looking to the roof "I wasn't thinking of your normal swim. I was thinking of one that should only be done in the dark."

He stared at her, still confused. It was adorable sometimes, but infuriating at others. Katara wasn't even sure where she had learned half of the things she knew, probably from listening to some of the girls from town talk. She did have a few friends there. "I believe the more modern term for it is 'skinny dipping'" she spoke in an informative way.

"You've lost me" he told her, rubbing the back of his neck and leaning his head back "can we not use cryptic terms and jump to the point?"

She couldn't help but sit up and watch him, waiting to see the look on his face when realization hit. "Skinny dipping means swimming" he nodded his head, signifying that he had understood that. "In the nude" she added, and his face turned from one of understanding to one of bewilderment.

He tried to keep a straight face "you're suggesting we swim without clothing on?" He turned serious, although his eyes suggested otherwise; they were in full agreement although the rest of his face said no. "I don't think that's…"

"It's not like we haven't done worse; come on, it's swimming. Don't you think it would be fun to swim, and bend water, with nothing between you and it…" She knew her words were tempting him "nothing between you and me but the water."

He groaned and ran his hands over his face, looking back at her and shaking his head "you're going to be the death of me, you know that?"

"So, that's a yes then?" She asked, clasping her hands together by her chin; she looked adorable, he had to admit it was rather tempting. After a few moments of silence and rubbing her knee, he nodded his head. She jumped to her feet and walked towards the linens closet.

She took a towel and smiled at him "meet you by the water in ten?"

"Yeah, I'll be waiting" he responded as she jetted out of the room. He got to his feet after a moment of silence and walked towards the same closet she had so recently walked away from. Pulling out a towel, he stepped out of his robes and wrapped it around his waist. She really was going to be the death of him; it wasn't exactly warm in those waters; and to not have any clothing on? The two were asking to get sick.

He stepped outside; the island was silent, the monks having already gone to rest with the sun. Katara was yet to make it out, so he sat at the edge near the steps leading in the water. It was a nice night he had to admit; not too cold, which would make this ordeal a bit easier. He couldn't help but feel slightly nervous, although the two had gotten pretty close, and had had quite a few heated sessions, he had never seen her without clothing; and vice versa.

He found himself hoping the water and darkness would provide some cover for the two, there would be fewer nerves that way. A pair of arms wrapped around his neck and he felt warmth against his back as Katara hugged him lightly. The light scratch of a towel told him she was still clothed; at least slightly. She pressed her lips against his jaw and stepped back again.

There was a small noise as the towel dropped to the ground and Aang dared not turn and look. He felt nervous enough as she walked past him; stepping into the water. He managed to keep his eyes averted until she was facing completely away from him, her legs for the most part in the water; her upper thighs and the curve of her hips were completely exposed in the moonlight.

She turned her head to smile at him, noting his nervous posture and not completely turning for his sake. Aang smiled back, watching as she immersed herself further into the water. She didn't seem to be cold at all; or nervous- but if it were light outside, anyone could see the shiver that ran up her spine. It was not for the chill of the water, or the bite of the slight wind, but for how nervous she was herself. She had not done something so bold in ages.

"Is the Avatar afraid of a bit of water?" She teased lightly, trying to make sure her voice didn't waver at all.

He got to his feet and stretched, attempting to look nonchalant "it's not the water that has me worried; they say there's a siren in these waters; one so beautiful anyone passing by would blush. She has a harsh bite though; they say she can control the wild waters. They say she bore the name of Katara." His voice was barely a whisper. She took a couple more steps into the water; the blue surface now rested on her hip bones.

She smiled and turned around, flinging her wet hair back over her shoulders, earning a sharp intake of breath from the young avatar. "Well, are you willing to risk her bite?" She was being very flirtatious as she stood there, speaking to him in a tone that even he understood. She turned her back on him once again and let her hands skim the top of the water.

Soon enough, she heard his towel drop to the ground and the light splashing sound of him descending into the lake with her. She couldn't help but smirk as she heard him come closer before wrapping his arms around her waist. She leaned back against him and grabbed his hands in her own, breathing in deeply. She could feel his nervous, almost shuddering breaths; and although he wasn't calm, he made no attempts to move away.

She calmly turned around, releasing his hands as she did so. He rested them on her hips as she faced him; wrapping her arms around his neck "its okay, I don't really bite."

He chuckled; her voice was the most relaxing thing he had heard in his life. "I don't mind" he whispered in her ear, hugging her closer.

"You won't look at me" she responded "are you nervous?"

"A little, but you wouldn't look at me either" she couldn't deny that she was nervous as well; and she wouldn't try and deny it. Instead, she merely laughed in response "it seems you're as nervous as I am" he added quietly. He chuckled lightly in time with her melodic laughter.

She leaned her cheek against his chest, calming herself once again with his heartbeat "I suppose I am; but your heart is beating a mile a minute."

With a quick flash of bravery, he pressed his hand between her breasts, smiling down at her as he felt her heart. Although it was only slightly quicker than normal at first, it quickly sped up as she realized where he had just put his hand. "You're really one to talk" he whispered, his voice was both soft and husky at the same time, and Katara wasn't sure how that worked.

She breathed in deeply "so, how about that swim?" She asked, giggling to herself; something unlike her.

"Yeah, I think that swim would be nice."

**So it's not the longest chapter, and it's basically just fluff! Stuff will start happening next chapter, I promise **


	10. Chapter 10

**Wait, weren't all the flying bison except Appa gone? How did he breed? Are the flying bison both genders? I don't understand. I'm confused. Seriously guys, the poor majestic beasts. Oh gosh I obviously haven't been sleeping well lately, getting emotional over flying bison. BREATHE C, BREATHE.**

"Are you sure you want to do this, Zuko?" Katara asked, putting a hand on his shoulder lightly. He seemed determined; but the citizens needed their fire lord. If he were to be lost to the mission, he would be gone, and they still wouldn't have found Ursa.

He nodded, looking down to her and half smiling "I have to, I'm not going to send guards in to find her; I doubt she would trust them at this point." It was true; Ursa wouldn't have trusted the guards, not if those guards had been what brought her to the city. Perhaps it had been Ozai himself, but he wasn't one to get his hands dirty if he didn't need to.

Moving back to Aang, Katara wrapped her arm around him. He pulled her to his side and with a kick to the ground, the earth moved, tossing them onto Appa. The flying bison was their chosen form of transportation this time; he would provide space enough for them, and a quick route to their destination. Although he was rather stubborn, he never failed to get the job done.

Zuko awkwardly climbed up, followed by Sokka who stumbled slightly before falling onto his back. "You know, as much as I love Appa, when you're out of practice, getting on his back can be rather difficult" he grumbled as he got up, rubbing the back of his head and seating himself near the rear end of the bison. It probably was not the best idea considering his luck with Appa, but he didn't think of that.

"Yip yip Appa" Aang said and Appa quickly pushed off from the ground, soaring into the air at a quick pace. He didn't get much air time now that they weren't travelling the world; so he was shockingly excited when he did get to go out. "So, do you even have a plan for when we get there?" He asked, looking back to Zuko who was pouring over the map for what seemed like the hundredth time since they had arrived in the fire nation.

Zuko looked up, pushing his hair back from his eyes; it had really gotten out of control in the years, he tended to keep it pulled back out of his face with the usual ceremonial hair piece. When he wasn't on business though, he allowed it to be wild. He looked down once more, eyes scanning that same piece of paper that mapped out the route. "Don't get killed" he said sarcastically, eyes not leaving the map.

"This is serious Zuko; your mom could be there… If she is, do you know how great that is?" Katara asked, thinking about her own mother; wondering how she would be reacting if she had the chance to find her in this village.

Zuko sighed and looked up once more "don't you think I know that, Katara?" His voice was strained, pained almost "do you know what will happen if I get my hopes up? What if she's not there?"

Katara looked down nervously, biting her lip "I'm sorry; I didn't think of that."

"I'm excited, yeah. I just don't want the pain of knowing the lead was false. It's been years of searching and people telling me the wrong things. I've learned after these years to not trust it until I see it." They hadn't been on one of these 'missions' with him in ages although he had never stopped searching. There was too much to do in the city to focus on finding Ursa. They supported Zuko in any way they could, but there wasn't much they were able to do. For him to ask them to come with him; he must have gotten his hopes up.

There was a great chance that his mother would be in this place; otherwise he never would have requested their help. "Well, whether she's here or not; I know you'll find her eventually" Katara responded quietly, unsure of what to say. He smiled gratefully and looked back down in silence.

She turned around and moved to Appas head, sitting next to Aang and putting her head on his shoulder "are you okay Katara?" His voice was quiet, but she knew he had heard everything said back there "he doesn't mean to sound rude; he's just… He's been looking for a long time."

"I know that. I'm just scared one of these days it's going to be too much for him" Katara breathed deeply, keeping her lips as closed as possible. One too many times, she had had a bug fly into her mouth in flight. "Remember what happened the year after he became fire lord? He almost lost everything."

"Then we went looking; god he was a mess when we didn't find her" Aang shook his head and put his hand on Kataras knee, looking back at the two sitting in the oversized saddle. Zuko had finally folded the map up and was watching the clouds. Sokka was asleep, something not unusual for him. "He's better now though; he's strong; Zuko won't turn to a mess that easily."

There was silence for a while as they flew. Zuko would occasionally call out a command along the lines of "turn to the north east" or "can we fly a bit higher? Cloud cover could always help." Apart from that, there was only silence. They flew over two cities before anyone spoke more than a sentence, every so often someone would point up. Everyone knew that if you found the flying bison, the Avatar wasn't too far behind.

Sokka was hanging over the edge of the saddle, his chin rested on the edge as he looked down. Zuko was sat in the middle, legs crossed and eyes closed. He hadn't relaxed properly since they had set off on the journey; not that someone could blame him. Katara had moved closer to Appas horns and was having what could only be assumed was a conversation with him. She would speak, and he would occasionally grunt and moan in response. He was quite learned in understanding what they said after the years; but Katara couldn't understand a thing he groaned back.

She would occasionally reach down as far as her arm would go and stroke his face, making him close his eyes which could have potentially caused a disaster if they didn't have a skilled air bender on board. Aang managed to keep him on track even when he strayed a bit. Even he couldn't help but smile; Appa had taken a liking to the water bender, mainly because she didn't hesitate to feed him large melons as treats. She would come back with two or three nearly every time she went to town.

There was a crinkling of paper as Zuko took his map out again "in about a mile, you'll have to start lowering Appa. There'll be a canyon, and an abandoned town in the center." He got to his feet and walked towards the two at Appas head. "Guess this is going to be the moment of truth" he didn't sound too excited, which only confirmed that he didn't want to get his hopes up.

Katara looked back and smiled before looking back. She kept an eye out as best as she could, bending the water in the clouds to make them move out of her way "I see the canyon!" She exclaimed, pointing forward excitedly. It was still quite a ways away, but Appa would have them there fast.

Soon enough, they were descending although there was still some distance left; they wanted to be close to see the village. A view from above might be their best bet at determining what sort of beast was supposedly there.

What they saw though, wasn't what you expected to find in a village. There was a large tarp sort of item spread over an expanse of land; it seemed to be pretty high, but peaks of buildings broke through the top. They couldn't know what was in there, not without going through the main entrance.

Appa landed just outside the opening and his occupants jumped down, staring through. It seemed rather bright, but there was a second tarp inside, blocking their view still. "State your business!" A few guards shouted, running out as they heard Appa land. They seemed shocked to see something so large standing in front of them "this is private property, owned by Fire Lord Ozai."

Zuko stepped forward, glaring at the two; they gazed at his scar with hatred "the banished prince, what business do you have here?" They were obviously quite behind on what was going on; Aang doubted they had been home since sometime before the war ended.

With the calmness of a Fire Lord, Zuko looked towards them "Ozai is no longer ruler over these lands. The Avatar took his bending in a final battle. I am your Fire Lord, and I expect to be treated with the respect you would have shown my father. It seems quite apparent that no one has briefed you on the current state of our noble country. So I will tell you how this is going to work. You are going to tell me this second what lays beyond these walls, and if you refuse, I will not hesitate to overpower you and go in myself."

They hesitated for a moment, sharing a glance before taking up a bending stance "we are loyal only to Ozai; how do we know you don't speak lies for your benefit?"

Zuko looked dangerous, towering over the two guards with an angry look on his face that could have matched Azula's. "How dare you… Aang, could you possibly help me do this the easy way? I don't wish to hurt my citizens."

With an understanding nod, he created earth barriers around the two men. They were stuck, unable to move; but not hurt in any way. "I'll release you before we leave" he informed them, wondering if he would be taking them back. If so, there was no way they could be released; not their hands and feet at least. Perhaps not even their mouths if they were anything like Azula.

Zuko hurriedly rushed through the tarp, throwing aside the inner one. The others followed quickly; it was, for the most part, silent inside. "I don't see anything; it doesn't look like a beast has been here."

"Maybe there never was a beast; it wouldn't be the first time Ozai lied to you after all Zuko" Sokka said, he looked annoyingly relaxed with his arms behind his head. He most definitely wasn't one to be relaxed in a situation, but he didn't feel the need to act like a leader now that they were all grown up. The others were able to make decisions that didn't sound like they were made by twelve year olds.

"Sokka, shut up" Katara said, punching her brother in the arm. He cringed and rubbed the spot, glaring at her. So, some things never would change even though so much had.

From the other end of town, there was a loud noise that sounded suspiciously like a growl or a roar "or maybe he was telling the truth for once" Zuko whispered.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys; so I'm behind in responding to my reviews and I am sooo sorry! I'll try to keep up with them starting with this chapter. I do like to thank you all personally **** It's the least I could do for you taking your time to give me such lovely, kind words. So, for all I didn't reply to this last go round I am VERY sorry, and I appreciate every single one of you.**

"I don't think she's here guys" Zuko said, trying to have a care free look on his face; but anyone could see the pain hidden in his eyes. They didn't try and comfort him, he wouldn't have wanted them to make a big deal out of it. They hadn't made it through the whole city yet, and he was already giving up hope.

They hadn't checked the larger buildings yet, perhaps because they were afraid there would be more guards around. "Guys, look at this" Katara said, disappearing between two buildings. They were dark enough that Zuko had to light a small fire so they could properly see. There was a large outline of some object that could be seen and as they approached, the group was rather confused. It was something they had not yet seen in their lives.

And after a couple of minutes of observing the object-it was large but it sounded rather hollow. There was a great roar that was louder than before. It was coming from inside the object. "There's a door over here!" Sokka shouted, grabbing the handle and opening it. The inside was- if possible- darker than the corner it was placed in. "Zuko, I could use some light" he told the fire bender who quickly rushed inside.

The place lit up easily, a cavernous room. The sound was being amplified through a cone shaped item that was aimed out of the room. A man was sat there, looking at theme in awe "how did you get in here?" He asked, obviously assuming anyone in here would have been permitted. "Wait, you're the banished prince!"

Zuko sighed, not bothering to explain to this man. If they got out of here well enough, he would be able to get everyone out of here; explain that the fire nation was no longer a part of Ozais great scheme. That there was a new fire lord, one that would lead the nation to peace.

It happened in a moment, the man's keys went flying towards the group due to a sudden gust of air. He scrambled to take them back but to no avail when Aang stuck his hand out to stop him. "You are in the presence of the fire lord and the avatar. You will proceed to do your job, don't let anyone else in."

There was silence as the man sat down; Aang carried an air of power when he needed to; and really anyone would be foolish to not listen to him. He was, generally, a kind man, one that would never hurt another person. Anyone here wouldn't know that however, they had been secluded.

"Are you ready?" Katara asked, pointing to a set of stone stairs that were laid in the corner. "We may as well see what's down there."

Sokka looked down the dimly lit set of stairs and cringed "I could stay here and keep watch over this guy" he suggested, chuckling lightly and nervously.

"Come on Sokka, it's really not going to be that difficult. You have the Avatar, a master fire bender and a master water bender to take care of you" she spoke like he was a child, making him throw her an annoyed look. Yet, he didn't complain as he walked down the steps with them. Zuko led the procession, keeping a watchful eye out for any soldiers and guards that may have been lingering around.

Aang followed, with Katara behind him and Sokka in tow; they were most definitely an odd group, and if Toph had come along it would have been just like old times. The times were different though, Toph had a group of mediocre metal benders to teach. Although she had the help of her first three students, she still had some difficulties getting away long enough to go on any of the fun stuff.

"There's a door coming up; when I open it be completely expectant of someone to come out" Zuko said, not turning around to face them as he spoke. He held up a hand to stop their movements and put his hand on the door handle, taking in a deep breath as he prepared for whatever laid beyond. "Ready?" He asked, finally looking to them. All three nodded, Sokka putting his hand on his boomerang on his back.

Zuko opened the door and stepped through, relaxing when he found no one down there "It's safe" he told them, and the others rushed forward.

Inside, there was a corridor; stone and blank save for a door every few meters. Both sides bore the same amount. Zuko counted the number of doors, then the number of keys. "They match up" he told the others, handing them each some of the metal objects. They didn't know what they would find behind those doors, but the adrenaline was beginning to kick in. Maybe there were people, who knew.

So Zuko went about opening the first door. Inside, there was a rather exhausted looking man; a former general who had sided with Zuko when he was banished. He hadn't been seen for years; apparently this was a place for prisoners. "Prince Zuko" he said when he saw the young man, rushing forward. Zuko put his hands on the man's shoulders "it's alright General, we're bringing you home." The general smiled and nodded his head, bowing it in respect for the fire lord.

"Wait for us by that door, we'll join you when we have the rest of the prisoners" he told him as he continued to the next door. Many of them were empty, but quite a few had people in them. It seemed to be a prison for anyone who posed a threat; people who betrayed the fire lord yet held loyal. Between the four of them, they were able to open most of the doors with ease. One though wouldn't open to a key. There was a contraption on it that needed all four elements to open. It was worse than a prison; it had been made when the avatar was not there. It was a permanent trap for whoever was inside. Ozai though had always believed they would find the avatar.

"It's useless, Toph isn't here." Zuko said, kicking the door angrily; fire shot from his fists as he balled them and put them to his sides. It happened occasionally when he was mad enough, but he had not been so angry for ages.

Katara lifted an eyebrow, confusing him "what?" He asked, holding his arms out to his sides. She nodded her head to the left "what" he asked again, looking there and only seeing Aang. It clicked after a moment "we have the avatar" he whispered.

There was a flap on the door that was locked by key, but there was no use in reaching inside; for all they knew something dangerous was in there. "Yes, we have the avatar; do you think he's not here to help you?" Katara smiled and Zuko, for the first time, had an overwhelming urge to hug the two of them. He contained himself; it was completely out of his character to do such things.

Excitement coursed through his veins as he aimed for the hole with the fire nation symbol imprinted on it. Much like water and air, it was a simple hole that went up. Earth was hard dirt that needed to be moved along a path to get to where it needed to be. It wasn't simple, and anyone without bending wouldn't have been able to move something as heavy as it were. It took effort as it was with bending. "Are you ready?" Zuko asked as Katara and Aang took place in front of their specific elements.

A nod from both of the couple and a countdown from three began. On three, they all bended until the door began to click open. "No matter what is in there Zuko, we're sticking by you." Aang said, placing his hand on the man's shoulder.

The door opened itself and a hand appeared from behind it, probably alarmed to have heard the opening of the door after so long. "Who's there?" A female's voice asked and Zuko tensed up, staying silent "is it the guards?"

A dark haired woman with clouded eyes and dark lips moved from behind the door "this is a cruel joke to play on a blind woman; who goes there?" Katara looked to Zuko, waiting for him to show any sort of reaction.

Finally, after a couple moments of silence he reached forward and took her by the arm "we are here to take you home" he whispered, voice clouded with emotions. It must have been his mother; no one else would have made him look like that. "Back to your home."

"I have no use there; the fire lord's made it quite apparent that he didn't want me around" she gestured to her eyes "flames don't care what or who they hurt."

Zuko breathed in deep, staring at Ursa as if if he looked away she would be gone in the snap of a finger. "I can assure you the fire lord wants you back home" his voice was barely a whisper.

"How would you know such a thing, you're merely a guard" she had grown bitter in her years of confinement. If he had told her he was her son, things may have been different. The staff's abuse of the people in the prison had made them unhopeful for a happy ending.

Zuko gulped and stopped walking; she stopped with him "I am the fire lord."

"Don't lie to me; I would know Ozais voice any day" she looked past him blankly, no warm smile on her face like it used to. She could have lit up a room with her smile back in the days when he was a child.

Zuko nodded his head although she couldn't see him, trying to keep his composure "Ozai no longer has any control of our nation. I am the fire lord now."

"Why should I believe you? I can't even know who you are" she hissed and the others flinched. They couldn't imagine how hard it would be on Zuko to see his mother like that.

He took in a deep breath and put his hands on her shoulders, pulling her slightly closer "I'm your son… I'm Zuko."


	12. I'm so so sorry

Guys, I am so so sorry. I just… I lost all motivation to write this. I don't know why. I've opened a word document once every second day since I updated last. I just can't find the motivation to write more of it. I'm so so so so so super sorry. I don't know what happened.. I'm going to leave it here, because I know eventually I'll get inspiration and have to write it. I tried forcing it today and it sounded just that…. Forced.

I love this story, and I have so many plans for it by now; I just have not the motivation to work on it. Between my Camp NaNoWriMo novel and being sick, I just can't. And I apologize. I know I've said sorry a lot. I just… I feel bad because I promised I wouldn't do this. I literally cannot force myself to write this story though. So, until I get the motivation and get a chapter done… It's goodbye for now.


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